Wednesday 8 December 2004 10.49 EST
First published on Wednesday 8 December 2004 10.49 EST

Richard, 32, has been a police constable for five years, earning £27,538. In his job, he has been involved in working at a social inclusion project for young people, which has made him think that perhaps he should leave the force for a career in community work. But how?

1. A move to a youth offending team (Yot) as an officer is an option. The job involves working with youngsters who have offended or are at risk of offending. Richard's police experience in sharing intelligence means he could join an intensive supervision and surveillance programme, made up of high-risk offenders who are tagged around the clock. His salary would drop to around £24,000 and he'd be expected to study for the professional certificate in effective practice. To keep his police salary and pension, a secondment to a Yot might be a more attractive option.

2. His experience in the force makes Richard a strong contender to get a job in community safety. Employed within a local authority, he could become a community safety coordinator for a multiagency team developing strategies to reduce antisocial behaviour. He would earn up to £34,000. As an antisocial behaviour officer Richard would receive £28,000. His knowledge of the law puts him at an advantage over less experienced candidates.

3. The charity sector also holds possibilities for Richard. He might work for the crime prevention charity Nacro, coordinating one of its 20 regional youth inclusion projects, for which he would earn £26,000. Managing up to four project workers in the multi-agency team, he would work with around 50 young people aged 13 to 18 who are at risk from social exclusion. His past experience in social inclusion is an asset.

4. Social inclusion work with the police force gives Richard the good grounding to become a community development officer working on local authority's housing estate projects that focus on young people. He could study part time for the professional qualification - the youth and community diploma - and perhaps could persuade his employer to fund his study. Once qualified, he would earn around £26,000.

5 Richard has good links with the youth service from his police work, so he might consider becoming a youth worker employed by a local authority or by the voluntary sector. The youth and community diploma qualification would definitely be useful in this case because it would push his salary to around £26,000. Working as an unqualified youth worker is poorly paid, but Richard could remain a PC on a part-time basis while he builds up his alternative career and completes his postgraduate qualification.